Toxic Chemical In Food Grade Gloves Causes Product Recall

Contaminated single-use gloves were responsible for the recent product recall from a pesticide free producer and processor. The antimicrobial chemical o-Phenylphenol, listed as a compound known to cause cancer, was identified as the contaminant in the FDA compliant food grade gloves.

"Nothing ruins your day like testing your product, confident it will be clean, only to find it contaminated with some crazy, toxic chemical. The gloves were the last thing we tested, we just never imagined something sold as food-safe could transfer such nastiness. The discovery was just the beginning... recalls are costly in more ways than one." - Freya Farm

After initial approval, non-sterile FDA compliant food grade disposable gloves are not subject to ongoing controls to ensure the reliability and consistency of raw material ingredients or quality processes during manufacturing. Opportunity exists for glove manufacturers to use cheap raw materials which lower glove durability and can introduce toxic compounds which can transfer to glove users and products handled.

The company affected by the glove contamination, Freya Farm, grows high-grade and unique strains of cannabis. They have since started purchasing gloves from the US branch of Eagle Protect, who are implementing a proprietary third-party glove analysis to ensure a range of Eagle gloves are of consistent high-quality, and free from harmful contaminants, toxins and pathogens.

"Sourcing quality, third-party tested gloves, from a company our customers can trust, is assurance they are receiving the best gloves to handle their products. Sourcing from us mitigates food safety and brand reputational risks," explained Eagle Protect CEO, Steve Ardagh.

Harmful toxins and contaminants in gloves have been identified in many peer reviewed scientific studies, which is now a real issue for companies producing consumer products, especially in industries such as organics, whose products must be clean when tested.

Single-use gloves, even those FDA compliant, can be a risk to product recalls and brand reputation. In addition, consumers of contaminated products, and staff wearing contaminated gloves are at risk of absorbing toxins, which have often been identified as causing cancer, and reproductive and hormonal damage.

Responsible sourcing is vital as poor quality, counterfeit and even reused gloves are being traded, as the Covid related demand for single-use gloves exceeds supply.

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